Whispering Light
by Lachenna
Summary: Allen Walker has been mysteriously sick for months. What could possibly be happening to the young exorcist? Semi-AU. AllenxKanda. Mpreg.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is a short story, only four chapters. I started this back in August, and now, seven months later, it's finally done. Enjoy!

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Over the previous six months, Allen Walker had become a fixture around the infirmary. The young exorcist had contracted a mysterious illness that the doctors and scientists had yet to identify. For the most part the symptoms were mild: heartburn, nausea, aches and pains, lethargy, insomnia, shortness of breath; nothing too serious, unless the sufferer had an incredibly physical job, like say, an exorcist.

But the truly worrying symptom was the amount of weight Allen had gained. It settled all over his lower body, but mostly in his stomach. No amount of diet or exercise could stop his midsection from growing outward; in fact, cutting down on his food intake had quickly been determined to have a detrimental effect on his overall health.

After two months of tests and exams, with absolutely nothing to show for it, Allen was pulled from active duty. Until they could figure out what was wrong with him, he was a liability out in the field. Central tried to complain, but given that the young man had killed the Millennium Earl six months earlier, they didn't have a leg to stand on.

The temper tantrum Allen threw after the announcement that he was benched lasted for days. He was beyond pissed that he could no longer go out and save the souls of the akuma that still roamed the earth. It had taken a guilt trip, as well as several slaps, from Lenalee to get him to realize that he shouldn't be fighting when he was sick.

That was four months ago. The infirmary had known about the mystery illness for six months, and Allen had known about it for two before he'd said anything, making him sick for a grand total of eight months now.

And today he was back in the infirmary, complaining of excruciating pains in his back and stomach. It had taken time, and another guilt trip from Lenalee, but they had finally gotten Allen to realize that he wasn't helping anyone by hiding his symptoms. And as such, he wasn't holding back his cries. Some of the shouts echoed so loudly through the stone building that they could be heard outside.

It wasn't the first time he'd experienced a pain like this, but those incidents had always passed after an hour or two. They weren't even long enough for anyone to pinpoint the specific source of the pain.

This time however, Allen had been screaming for so long that he was starting to lose his voice. Six hours had passed since he had come to the infirmary, and all the attending doctors had figured out was that the pains were getting stronger and more frequent as time went on, a revelation that only served to piss Allen off.

That's when the scientists came in. Lou Fa, Rikei, and Shifu, accompanied by their supervisor, Bak Chan, had built a device that would let them see what was happening on the inside of Allen's bloated belly. They had started the project in their spare time, back when word of Allen's sickness had first reached the Asian Branch. And now it was finished. Just in time too.

It took no convincing to get Allen to let them do their test on him. He was in so much pain that so long as it yielded _helpful_ results, he didn't care what it involved. So they hooked up their machine and started it up.

The joke that Allen looked pregnant had been passed around for months. But it had always remained a joke; no one had ever put serious thought into the possibility that a male could be pregnant: it was just too ridiculous.

Until that moment.

Everyone stared dumbly at the screen. The image flickering on it was clearly that of a fully grown fetus. The stunned silence immediately turned into a heated debate, with the four scientists swearing by the accuracy of their device. It finally came to an end when Allen, who hadn't seen the screen, had had enough of their bickering. "Would someone please tell me what the _hell_ is going on?!"

"Alright, everyone out!" The Head Nurse sprang into action. It had been a long time since she'd helped with the delivery of a baby, but it was a safe bet that she was the only one present who had even done that much. "Allen needs quiet, and this is not it! So all of you need to clear the room. You, scientists, take your contraption with you!"

She glared at every one of them as they hurried to do what she demanded. When the room was finally vacant, she closed the door and turned her attention towards Allen. He was staring at her, eyes wide with fear, from the chair he was uncomfortably perched on. She helped him move onto the bed, and then held his hand as a contraction wracked through his body. When it passed, she sighed and placed a wet cloth on his forehead to help him cool down; then she began to feel around his extended belly, her fingers quickly confirming what the device had shown. "Allen, I know that this is going to be hard to believe, but you're pregnant. Your baby is full term, and you're in labor."

He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out, only a very undignified squeak. It was too mind blowing, he couldn't even begin to process what he was being told. The Head Nurse smiled gently at him. "Yes, I know that it's impossible. But you know as well as I do that it's the only explanation for what's been happening to you that makes any sense at all."

Another contraction started before Allen could respond, the excruciating pain washing over his entire body. As preposterous as the whole idea of being pregnant was, the pain only supported the nurse's theory that he was in labor. Now that it had been mentioned, Allen could clearly identify the agonizing feeling as his body preparing to get something out of it.

The Head Nurse waited for the contraction to pass and Allen's breathing to calm a little before she continued her explanation. "Now, I'm going to take your pants off so that I can get a look at what's happening down there. I need to find out if your body already has a way to get the baby out. Understand?"

She waited for Allen to nod before she moved from his side. She unfastened his pants and he helped her take them off, lifting his hips off the mattress so that she could slide them away. The wetness of the fabric did not escape her notice: Allen's baby had to be coming out on its own if his water had already broken. It wasn't surprising to her that he hadn't said anything about it; he probably thought that he had wet himself, and even in his current condition that would have understandably been too embarrassing to admit to.

Allen spread his legs as she instructed, but then she just stood there, examining his groin. It was making him uncomfortable. Contrary to his worries, the Head Nurse hadn't even noticed his exposed dick. She was more concerned with the fully dilated birth canal that he wasn't supposed to have, yet did.

After the pain of his next contraction passed, leaving an intense burning behind, Allen realized that the Head Nurse was holding his hand again. She guided it down to the area between his spread legs, and gently placed his fingers against something slimy and hairy. "That's your baby's head. It's starting to crown. From now on, you're going to have to push with the contractions to get it the rest of the way out."

Allen stared blankly at her. He didn't know what half of the things she'd just said meant. And his mind was still reeling; trying to process that he was pregnant and in labor was giving him a migraine, and he was already in enough pain. She released his hand, and quickly arranged a sheet over his still-spread knees. "I'm going to go bring the doctors back so that they can help with the birth."

She paused at the door as an idea struck. "Or would you rather it be a smaller group? That scientist girl is your friend, right? I'm sure she'll help, and then it would only be the three of us instead of the big crowd. Would you be more comfortable with that arrangement?"

Taking his hesitant nod as a 'yes' because she didn't want the noisy doctors back, the Head Nurse stepped quickly out into the hall. "There's no time, so questions will have to wait until later. Allen _is_ pregnant. The baby started to crown with his last contraction. Now, I'm going to go back in there and help him deliver the baby. You, science girl with the braids, you come with me. The rest of you, stay out here. I'll call for you if I need you, but until then, Allen has requested that he be given as much privacy as possible."

Not waiting on a response, she turned and went back into the room, Lou Fa hurrying to catch up with her. The doctors and scientists all clamored after her, but the door slamming shut them up.

Allen was in the middle of a contraction when they entered, and the Head Nurse stepped swiftly to his side and began coaching him through it. Not knowing what to do, Lou Fa stood there watching awkwardly until it passed. Her dreams lay shattered around her as she watched her crush labor with another's child.

Then the contraction passed and the Head Nurse was ordering her around, giving her no time to focus on that. She fetched various tools, and when that was done, she sat at Allen's side. She held his hand and spoke words of support and encouragement as he struggled to give birth.

The seconds ticked by with agonizing slowness, and Allen was only vaguely aware of Lou Fa's coaching. The young man felt like his body was going to rip apart under the strain of childbirth. His strength was fading and fatigue was setting in; he didn't know how much longer he could continue to push. He certainly didn't have enough energy left to think about what was actually happening, he just wanted the pain to stop. Yet with each contraction and accompanying push, the pain only got worse.

And then it was suddenly over. The waves of pain were gone, leaving only a sense of overall exhaustion and extreme soreness. The realization that he'd just given birth didn't hit him until the newborn baby started to cry. He started to panic internally, but before he got too lost, Lou Fa was placing the infant in his arms.

Allen was surprised by how familiar his daughter was. He hadn't even known she was inside him, yet he somehow knew exactly who she was. It was as if there was some subconscious part of him that had actually been aware of her every move over the previous nine months.

It only took him a split second to decide that he was keeping her. Even though he would be told he should give her up. Even though her father wasn't in the picture. Even though he didn't know the first thing about babies. It was going to be hard, but he would do it. For her.

No one had thought Allen would actually want the baby. They all expected him to vehemently reject it and rage over having given birth in the first place. So when the doctors and scientists were finally allowed back into his room, it was a shock to all of them to find him serenely embracing the newborn like it was the most normal thing in the world. Sure, he was confused over what had happened, and he was upset that no one had figured it out sooner, but he didn't take any of that out on the newborn. In fact, Allen broke out in tears when the doctors had to take her from him to get her cleaned up and examined. The reaction was so far from what they expected that it freaked them all out.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Sorry the last chapter ended so abruptly; I wrote this story in one big chunk and split it into chapters once it was finished. That was simply the best spot to end that chapter without making it too long or too short. Now, as many of you have been so anxiously waiting for: it's time for Kanda to make his appearance.

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Lenalee, with Kanda and Lavi in tow, came running to the infirmary when she realized that Allen's screaming had finally stopped completely. They were forced to wait for hours before being allowed to go back to his room. And then they were met by a serious faced Komui. The Chinese man's expression made them fear the worst: their friend's mysterious illness had claimed his life.

But that all changed when Komui spoke. "Allen gave birth to a healthy baby girl about two hours ago. You can go see them, but he needs to rest so you can't stay long."

The three gave the Supervisor odd looks. Even Kanda broke his usual scowl to stare, wide eyed in horror and confusion, at the ridiculous statement the Chinese man had made. Lenalee found her voice first. "Did you just say that Allen _gave birth_?! Do you really expect us to believe that?"

Komui smiled gently at his sister. "Think back over the past few months. It's very easy to see that he was pregnant and not sick."

They all had to admit that there was truth in what the Supervisor was saying. But that didn't make the situation any less weird. Lenalee frowned at her brother. "How-? How could _he_ possibly have had a baby?!"

Komui sighed. "We're still working out the mechanics of how he was able to get pregnant. There are so many different theories that it's going to take some time to figure out which is true. But that's not what we're really concerned with at the moment." He surveyed Allen's closest friends for a second before continuing. "Do any of you know or suspect who Allen might have been sleeping with nine months ago? We're trying to get him to tell us who got him pregnant, but he won't talk."

Lenalee shook her head. "I wasn't aware that he was sleeping with anyone."

Lavi seconded her statement. Kanda just scowled at the wall. Komui sighed; he hadn't expected them to know, but it was still disappointing that they didn't. Lenalee smiled softly at her brother. "Don't worry about it too much, Nii-san. We'll figure it out eventually."

The Chinese man opened the door to Allen's room for the trio. The exhausted young man was reclining against some pillows, his attention entirely focused on the blanketed bundle in his arms. The sight made Lenalee relax, if Allen was that calm then there was nothing to worry about.

"Allen? Do you feel up to some visitors?" At the sound of Komui's voice, Allen had to force himself to look away from his daughter; two hours old and she was already the most precious person in his life. He was too wrapped up in her to even get some much needed sleep.

His anxious expression softened when he saw Lenalee, but when he saw who was with her it turned murderous in a heartbeat. The stream of swear words he let out made everyone flinch. "You bastard! Get the fuck out of here! Get the fuck away from me!"

The violent reaction scared the four in the doorway, but they all knew what it meant: the baby's father was in the room. The Lee siblings looked to Lavi, but the redhead wasn't the target of Allen's fury.

Kanda sighed; he really should have expected that reaction. "I'm not going anywhere, Moyashi."

The nickname set Allen off even more. He screamed and ranted for the next several minutes. The other three were stuck in the middle of it, as Kanda was blocking the exit. It was awkward, but at least they were able to satisfy their curiosity and get the gist of what had happened between the pair. But perhaps the most surprising revelation was that the two had been together for three years prior to their breakup, and no one had suspected a thing.

Komui's suggestion that Kanda leave so that Allen could rest went unheard. The thing that stopped Allen's assault on his ex-boyfriend was the newborn baby in his arms; she got the tiniest bit fussy and the yelling instantly stopped.

Kanda took advantage of the silence to speak. "Look, you're not wrong. I deserve every bad thing you've said and the ones you haven't gotten to yet. But I'm not going to leave until I get to meet my daughter."

Allen scowled fiercely at him for a moment before he caved. As much as he hated Kanda for what he'd done, he couldn't deny that the man had a right to at least meet his child. "Fine. But do it quickly so that you can get out of here as soon as fucking possible."

The samurai stalked across the room, but when he reached the bedside, he ignored the baby. Allen was caught off guard when Kanda's fingers brushed into his sweat-matted hair, the elder's palm resting on his scarred cheek. Then Kanda leaned in and kissed the lips that had spent the last fifteen minutes hurling insults at him.

Allen hated himself for it, but he melted into Kanda's touch. It had been a long time since their breakup, and he still missed the physical contact. But then again, their breakup had been very one sided: Allen had literally begged Kanda to stay with him. Was it really his fault that he was still in love with the bastard?

When they finally broke apart for air, Allen just blinked at the samurai. Kanda rested his nose and forehead against Allen's. "I'm sorry, Allen. For everything. I was being stubborn and selfish, and I hurt you. And I was too stupid to realize that I was doing it. I-"

"I thought you wanted to see the baby." Allen's patience was wearing thin. "But you haven't even looked at her. Instead, you start up with this sentimental crap, like you're trying to get back to-... No. No, no, no. You can't do this to me. I've moved on."

Kanda ignored Allen's protests. "Allen. Breaking up with you is one of the biggest mistakes I have ever made. I-"

"And I said no! I'm not going to let you do this! You can't-"

"I love you."

Allen glared at the sincere words. If Kanda thought that finally saying them was going to be enough then he had another think coming. "Get away from me."

The response only made Kanda smile. "I can't do that. I know that you're still in love with me."

"What on earth could possibly make you think that?!" It was all Allen could say; he hadn't known that Kanda knew his feelings hadn't changed.

"If you had truly moved on then you wouldn't be so pissed at me."

The truth of the statement only made Allen more angry. "Of course I'm pissed at you! I just found out that you knocked me up and then dumped me! I just spent _hours_ giving birth to your child! Do you have _any_ idea how painful that was?!"

There was a moment of silence while Kanda came up with a response to the rhetorical question. "If I had known you were pregnant, I never would have left you."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?!" Allen was reaching hysterics. The three at the door would have intervened had they not already left to give the pair some privacy. "You staying with me because of the baby would have been just as bad as you leaving like you did!"

"That's not what you said back then." It made Kanda sad to recall the way Allen had begged and pleaded for them to stay together. "But the baby isn't why I would have stayed. Do you realize just how big of a miracle you pulled off today? You are absolutely amazing, and I love you even more for it."

Allen finally turned away from Kanda, breaking his glare and returning his gaze to his baby girl. He couldn't stand watching the samurai's sincere expression any more. "So... what? You heard I'd had your baby and decided that now was a good time to start up with me again?"

Kanda sighed, sitting on the mattress without moving his hand from Allen's cheek. He knew that the disappearance of the Moyashi's anger meant that the younger was actually listening to him. However, it made sharing his feelings a whole lot harder; it was easier to be open when they were yelling at each other. "No. I realized two months ago that I had made a huge mistake; I never should have left you. This, right now, was simply my best chance to talk to you. I knew you'd be too tired to run away like you have every other time I've tried. I love you, Allen. And it's not because of the baby. You are without a doubt the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Allen did nothing but stare blankly at him, so Kanda leaned in and kissed him again. This kiss was short, and when it was over Allen was frowning. "You do realize that I don't trust you anymore."

"I do." Kanda allowed himself to relax; Allen was willing to take him back. "I know it's going to take time for you to get over what I did to you. I'm willing to be patient."

"Ok, you win. Are you going to look at the baby now?"

Kanda smiled as he kissed Allen once more. "I don't have to look to know that she's absolutely gorgeous, she is yours after all."

Allen snorted. "You already got me back; you can stop with the sentimental bullshit."

"I thought you liked the 'sentimental bullshit', Moyashi." Kanda teased as he moved so that he was sitting alongside Allen, getting settled just in time to catch Allen's elbow in his ribs.

"I do, Yuu. But I like it when it's spontaneous, not when you're trying to butter me up."

"Ok, I guess that's fair." Kanda laughed just a little. Then he wrapped his arms around Allen's shoulders and finally focused on the newborn baby. "So, this is our daughter. She really is gorgeous."

"She is." Allen smiled down at the baby girl in his arms. She was little more than a pink blob, but that didn't make any difference in his eyes.

It didn't matter to Kanda either, especially not once Allen relinquished his hold on her and he got to hold his daughter for the first time. Like with her mother, the newborn claimed her father's heart in an instant. Not even the cold and fierce Kanda Yuu could resist her.

Kanda had originally viewed his sudden parenthood as something he would have to accept if he wanted to get his Moyashi back, having correctly assumed that Allen wasn't going to give up the baby. But this little one was pure love; there was no way Kanda was going to let anyone other than the two of them raise her. "Have you named her yet?"

Allen snorted. " _That's_ your first question?"

"It's a valid question, wanting to know if my daughter already has a name." Kanda gave Allen a sideways glance. "It's not like I can ask if you're going to keep her, because I already know the answer to that."

Allen tore his gaze away from the baby to narrow his eyes at Kanda. "Oh you do, do you?"

It was Kanda's turn to snort. "Of course I do, Moyashi. It's you. You would never abandon a child. Especially not one you actually gave birth to. Not even not knowing you were pregnant would change that."

Allen's retort was cut off by a knock on the door. The pair looked up to see Komui sticking his head into the room. "It got quiet. Is everything ok, Allen?"

Allen smiled at the Supervisor's worried look. "Yeah. We're good."

The Chinese man's worry didn't fade until he saw that the baby was in Kanda's arms; if Allen had handed her over without a fuss then the pair really were ok. "In that case, the Head Nurse wanted me to see if you were ready to try feeding the baby."

Clueless as to what that really meant, Allen smiled at the Supervisor. "Sure."

Komui left, and a few moments later the Head Nurse came in. She set a few bottles and jars on one of the counters and then she turned her attention to Allen and Kanda. She bossed them around to get them where she wanted: Allen reclined against the pillows and Kanda in the bedside chair. It all made perfect sense until she told Allen to take off his shirt.

He did what he was told, but he was severely confused as to why. Especially once the baby was placed back in his arms. The nurse had him hold the newborn in such a way that her face was up against his bare chest. "What-?"

His question cut off with a grunt when the baby latched on to his nipple and started suckling. The feeling was so bizarre, painful yet somehow pleasant. And when the baby's efforts were rewarded with the milk she sought, Allen gasped.

Kanda got a kick out of the look on Allen's face, but he enjoyed the sight of the white haired teen breastfeeding their daughter a little too much. He had to force a scowl to keep the true nature of his feelings hidden. Maybe restarting things with Allen immediately after he gave birth wasn't such a great idea; it was going to be weeks before he could touch the brat again.

The Head Nurse smiled at Allen's expression. "I take it from the look on your face that you _are_ lactating. That's good; there was quite a debate as to whether or not your body would be able to do it. How does it feel?"

Allen frowned down at the baby. Somewhere in his head, he had connected the dots and figured out that he was breastfeeding his daughter, but the rest of his brain took longer to catch up. "Really weird."

The vague answer was not what the Head Nurse needed, so she prompted him further. "Does it hurt?"

"Not particularly. It's just ... weird." It was the only word Allen could think of. Four hours ago, he was mysteriously sick and now he was nursing the baby he had given birth to. The whole day was weird.

The Head Nurse smiled at the answer. "Just be sure you say something if it does start hurting, ok?"

She stuck around for a few more minutes, giving Allen a crash course in breastfeeding his baby. Before she left she made sure that Kanda understood it all too, so that the samurai would be able to help Allen if he needed it.

Once the baby was done eating, Kanda moved back to the bed. He wrapped his arms around Allen, helping him support the now sleeping baby. "You look exhausted. You should sleep, Moyashi."

The snort Allen gave was the response Kanda expected. "How? How can I be away from her for even a second? I've already missed so much time with her."

Kanda kissed the top of Allen's head as the teen started to cry. The hormones and lack of sleep were starting to get to him. "I feel so stupid. How could I not have known? How did I not notice that she was inside me?"

"Because you're male, Moyashi." Kanda kissed Allen's head again. "Not even _she_ would blame you for not figuring out that you were pregnant. There are a whole lot of people here who are supposed to be geniuses, and none of them figured it out either. So give yourself a break, ok?"

"But-"

"Allen." Kanda couldn't help smirking at the whine; it reminded him of how much he loved the boy. "Go to sleep. She'll still be here when you wake up. She's not going to disappear on you."

"Yuu-"

Kanda cut him off with a kiss. "I'm not going to disappear on you either. I meant everything I said earlier. I love you."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, you guys are awesome.

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When Kanda finally convinced Allen to lay down and close his eyes, the new mother was out like a light. The samurai took in the sight for a little while; he didn't realize just how much he had missed watching Allen sleep until that moment. But then the newborn in his arms claimed his attention.

Given that it had taken him three years of dating and several months apart to realize his feelings for Allen, Kanda did not expect to love that little girl so much so soon. But everything about her, from the navy tint of the black fuzz on her head, to her bright silver eyes, to the way she gripped his finger, was precious.

She was perfect, or perfect in his eyes anyway. He couldn't even say that it was because he was her father: it was no secret that Allen's parents had abandoned him for having that same birth defect. While part of him was furious that his daughter had a parasitic Innocence, he knew that the Innocence was probably the reason for Allen's pregnancy, so he chose to let go of the anger and just be grateful to have her. Besides, with the Earl dead and the Noah gone, being an exorcist wasn't nearly as perilous as it used to be.

He couldn't help wondering what this moment would feel like if he hadn't been such an idiot six months ago. If he hadn't selfishly pushed Allen away, if he had been there during the pregnancy, would they have figured it out sooner? Would he be holding a child whose arrival had been anticipated? Or would it still have taken Allen going into labor for his pregnancy to be figured out? The thoughts bothered him, but the hardest one to deal with was the knowledge that he had missed his daughter's birth, and was only even told about her as an afterthought, all because he hadn't realized that _he_ was the reason he and Allen had been having problems. Because he was so stupid as to not realize that he was in love with the Moyashi, he had missed the first hours of his daughter's life.

Kanda's bonding moment with his child was interrupted by someone knocking gently on the door. The samurai swiftly moved from his seat to open the door and make the obnoxious tapping stop. Keeping his voice as quiet as he could, he hissed at the intruder. "He's asleep. What do you want?"

Komui blinked at the words. He looked into the room and sure enough, Allen was sleeping peacefully on the bed. "Did he finally pass out?"

"More or less." Kanda narrowed his eyes at the Supervisor, hoping he'd get to the point soon.

"Well, Lenalee and Lavi still want to see him, but that's going to have to wait now. But what _I_ wanted was to talk to you." Komui fixed Kanda with a serious stare. "You're really the father of Allen's baby?"

Kanda had to bite back a sarcastic response referencing the tongue lashing he'd received earlier; he knew it would only make the Supervisor ask more annoying questions. "Yes."

"And did you ever suspect that he might get pregnant? Back when you two ... were intimate, was he male? Or did he have ... female parts too?" Komui had planned to just ask straight out if Allen had always had a vagina, but when it came down to it, he couldn't say the words.

"Komui. The Moyashi has always been completely, one hundred percent male." Kanda narrowed his eyes at the Supervisor. "Wouldn't the doctors' tests have told you that already?"

"You would think so, but given that it took them until Allen was in labor to figure out that he was pregnant, their track record isn't so good right now. Getting it from you was much more reliable." Komui smiled briefly before he sighed. "Of course, this just makes it that much harder to figure out how the pregnancy happened. If Allen _had_ secretly been a hermaphrodite then this investigation could have been over and done with already."

Kanda snorted. "If that were the case, he probably would have gotten pregnant _years_ ago. We've been far from careful. Besides, what's got you so worked up? This was obviously the work of Innocence."

"How do you know that? Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Of course not." Kanda backed away when Komui got in his face. "But between my crystallized Innocence, the Moyashi's Innocence being the Heart, and the baby having a parasitic Innocence, it just makes sense that the Innocence is what made this possible."

Komui thought hard about what the samurai was suggesting. "Maybe, but it's not that simple. Did _your_ Innocence make your lover pregnant? Did _his_ do it? Or did the baby's Innocence hijack his body in order to make him bear its accommodator?"

"Che." Kanda scowled at the Chinese man. "Does it matter which it is? Can't you just say the Innocence did it and be done with it?"

"No. Because if it's one of those first two then it opens up the possibility of Allen getting pregnant again."

Kanda hadn't thought of that and it freaked him out a little. His gaze strayed to the sleeping Moyashi. As his eyes took in his lover's form, the baby shifted in his arms. And that's when he knew that Allen would want the chance to actually experience a pregnancy, and to his surprise, he found that he wanted that too. If it was possible for the Moyashi to get pregnant again then they would be having another baby. Not for a while yet, their first was only a few hours old after all, but in a year or so they would definitely be trying.

Deciding he'd had enough of this topic, the samurai moved to end the conversation. "Are we done yet?"

The question snapped Komui out of his thoughts. "Not really. I've got a lot of questions about your relationship with Allen. But those should probably wait until he's awake. There is one that can't wait though: Is it safe to assume that you have decided to take responsibility for the baby?"

Kanda snorted, Komui could be so stupid sometimes. "She's my daughter."

"And Allen?"

"Che. Are you done asking stupid questions?" He had professed his love for Allen too many times that day, he couldn't do it again.

But Komui knew that the retort meant that the samurai felt just as responsible for the mother of his baby as he did for the child herself. He smiled knowingly at Kanda. "I'll come back when Allen's awake. Go get to know your baby."

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When Allen awoke a few hours later, he was really groggy. The little bit of sleep he had gotten was far from enough. His body ached all over, but he didn't know or care why; he just wanted more sleep. He snuggled deeper into the blankets and tried to fall back asleep, but a chuckle from his side startled him the rest of the way awake.

He opened his eyes just long enough to make out Kanda sitting in a chair beside the bed. But that didn't make sense; Kanda had dumped him six months ago. Closing his eyes, Allen leaned back against his pillows. "I had a really weird dream about you."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I dreamt I had your baby and we got back together."

Kanda snorted at the drowsy tone of Allen's voice. "Was this a good dream or a bad one?"

Allen shrugged as he once again snuggled under his blanket. "Don't know. The part with you was good, but the rest... The rest was just weird. Men can't have babies."

 _Three... Two... One..._ At the end of Kanda's internal countdown, Allen's silver eyes flew open. The realization that his dream wasn't a dream hit him hard. "Where is she?"

"Relax, Moyashi. She's right here." Kanda smiled as he moved to show Allen the baby in his arms. "If you sit up, I'll give her back to you."

Allen's hurried attempt to sit up resulted in a searing pain filling his now deflated middle. He collapsed with a groan that made Kanda laugh. "Take it easy, Moyashi. It hasn't been that long since you gave birth. Your body's going to hurt for a while."

The comment earned him a brief glare, but that melted into a confused frown almost immediately. Allen was surprised by Kanda's laughter; it was a sound he hadn't heard since they broke up. "The part about us getting back together was true too, wasn't it?"

"Very much so."

The words filled Allen's soul with happiness. Kanda really had apologized for breaking his heart. He sat up again, this time slow enough that he didn't strain himself too much. And when his baby was once again in his arms, his life was complete.

Allen was confused when, after handing him the baby, Kanda immediately walked to the door and stepped out of the room. But then he heard, "He's awake," and realized that the samurai was telling the others they could come in.

By the time Kanda returned to his chair, Lenalee had come running into the room. She slowed her pace as she approached Allen's bedside, her eyes wide with shock. Allen smiled at the look on her face; he could see how badly he had scared her, and wanted to put her mind at ease. "Hey, Lena."

She sat gently on the edge of the bed, and just stared at her friend. Allen looked awful. Despite having just woken up, it was obvious that he was exhausted and in pain. But at the same time... His heavy, distended belly was gone, and it had been months since he last smiled that happily. And in that respect, he looked a million times better than he had that morning.

Lenalee finally let her tears fall as the relief washed over her. "Thank god you're ok, Allen! I was so scared that we lost you!"

He laughed gently and used his free hand to wipe away some of her tears. "Do you want to meet your niece?"

"Of course!" When Allen handed her the baby, her tears morphed into tears of joy. She beamed down at the newborn in her arms. "She's perfect."

The way Allen's breath hitched at her words caught her attention, and she immediately snapped her focus onto him. "What's wrong?"

Lenalee watched with bated breath as Allen leaned closer and began adjusting the blanket that was wrapping the newborn. Her heart almost stopped as he exposed the parasitic Innocence in the little girl's left shoulder. When Allen finally spoke, his voice was shaking. "This is Erika, the newest member of our exorcist family."

"Erika...?" The Chinese woman focused all of her attention on her friend as she asked for his baby's last name.

When Allen just stared blankly at her, she scowled at him and gave a pointed look at Kanda, who had been observing the whole scene silently. Neither responded to the unasked question, causing Lavi, who was standing in the doorway, to speak up. "Oh, come on, Allen! What's her last name? Is she a Walker or a Kanda?"

Allen glanced briefly at Kanda before sighing and dropping his gaze to his daughter. "We haven't decided yet. We weren't married when she was born, so technically she'd be a Walker. But that's irrelevant, because if we'd known I was pregnant, she wouldn't have been illegitimate. And it's obvious from looking at her that she's Kanda's daughter..."

His words trailed off when he felt Lenalee's smirk. When their gazes locked, she grinned deviously. "Speaking of that... There's something I don't quite understand. For the past six months, you two have been getting along better; you rarely argued and you didn't try to kill each other even once. Yet what I heard when you were yelling earlier is that the fighting stopped when you broke up..."

She cocked an eyebrow at the new mother. "But shouldn't it have been the opposite? I would think that you'd have fought more after your breakup than before it."

To her surprise, it was Kanda who answered her question. "Che. The fighting was a way of getting you all to go away so we could have privacy. We didn't need it once we were no longer sleeping together."

"And while we're on the subject..." Lavi smirked when the other three looked up at him. "Why did you two break up?"

In the silence that followed, Allen took the baby back from Lenalee. He frowned down at his little angel, brushing her cheek lightly with his thumb. "We didn't break up: Kanda dumped me. One day he just decided he was done with me, and nothing I said could change his mind. I don't understand why he did it, but it doesn't matter. We're back together and we have a baby, and that's what important."

His answer made the other two round on Kanda. He scowled at them both, but they didn't back down. Fortunately for him, the baby started crying, and everyone's attention was once again on her.

Panicking internally, Allen acted in the only way he could think of. He swiftly unbuttoned his shirt and maneuvered the baby to his chest, praying the whole time that she was hungry because he didn't know yet what else could be making her cry. He relaxed as she latched on, the crying ceasing as she began to nurse.

He looked up to see Lavi and Lenalee staring at him like he had grown another head, both exorcists a queer shade of green. "What?"

Lavi opened his mouth to speak, but gagged instead. Allen shared a confused look with Kanda then turned back to his friends. He raised an eyebrow at the still gagging redhead. "I gave birth earlier today and _breastfeeding_ is what creeps you out?"

Lenalee was keeping it together a little better than the redhead and turned the question around on her friend. "Are you saying it doesn't weird _you_ out? You're a man and yet you've got a baby drinking the milk that's coming out of your chest."

Allen looked down at the baby and brushed the fingers of his free hand through her wispy hair. "It did the first time, but like I said, compared to actually giving birth, this is nothing."

Watching Allen watch the baby, Lenalee realized just how far off into motherhood he was; anything concerning his baby was going to seem perfectly natural to him. So she turned her attention to the samurai, maybe he could talk some sense into Allen. "And what do _you_ think about this, Kanda?"

Allen snorted at the question, answering it before Kanda could. "He's thinking about sex."

The samurai opened his mouth to lie and deny it, but the words were drowned out by the sound of Lavi finally throwing up. "I did _not_ need to know that."

Kanda snorted, amused that the vocal redhead had a problem hearing about the sexual activities of others. "How'd you think I got him pregnant?"


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Well, here it is, the fourth and final chapter (told you it was short). I hope you find it to be a satisfactory ending.

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Allen was forced to stay the night in the infirmary. His first night with Erika was incredibly stressful. Without having had the previous nine months to mentally prepare for the baby's arrival, having to wake up every few hours to take care of her was a nightmare. But his determination to be the perfect mother to his daughter never faltered, and he powered through the exhaustion and the pain.

The morning brought a new set of problems. Allen's growling stomach was at war with his reluctance to let go of his baby. Kanda managed to convince him that he couldn't take care of the baby if he didn't take care of himself, but when Allen finally handed Erika over, his attempt to walk to the cafeteria resulted in him collapsing in pain before he even left the room; he was too weak from childbirth to walk.

Jerry was all too happy to bring food to the young exorcist though, and the flamboyant chef spent the teen's entire meal in the infirmary room fawning over Erika. To the annoyance of absolutely everyone, except the new mother, this process was repeated three times a day for the next three days before Allen had finally regained enough strength to get to the cafeteria on his own.

However, aside from meals, Allen was prohibited from leaving the infirmary. The doctors and scientists were running tests to determine the cause of his pregnancy, and the Head Nurse would not hear of discharging him from her care until he had fully recovered from giving birth. Little Erika was also under her care, so she spent much of her time teaching Allen and Kanda all about taking care of an infant; she was not going to let the new parents have full custody of their daughter until she was sure that the little angel wouldn't be neglected.

Kanda's constant presence in Allen's infirmary room was almost as surprising to the others as the fact that the pair weren't fighting. Everyone had expected Kanda to grow annoyed with the baby and dump Allen again before the first day was over. But Kanda was not about to leave Allen's side. After everything they had been through, reconnecting with his Moyashi and caring for their daughter were the samurai's top priorities. He had finally fixed that horrible mistake he had made six months earlier, and he was going to do everything he could to not screw up his second chance with Allen.

Between the baby, the doctors' tests, and the constant visits from their friends, it was a chaotic week, and it was about to get worse.

It all started with a visit from Komui. The Supervisor showed up without warning, with a stack of papers for the young couple to sign. He insisted that everything was routine and refused to explain what he was doing there until the last page was signed. Allen found it quite agonizing, especially with the added challenge of having to keep Kanda from giving in to his frustrations and hurting Komui.

At last, the Supervisor sighed and shuffled the pages into a neat pile. He held them on his lap as he finally began to explain himself to the young couple. "Most of the tests we've done on Allen are still awaiting results, but there are a few that I can share with you. This won't surprise either of you, but we have confirmed that Kanda is Erika's father."

Allen did not take this news particularly well. "Really? You put us through all that just to tell us what we already know?"

"No, of course not." Komui briefly laughed at the young exorcist's reaction, but sobered quickly. The next thing he had to say was definitely going to be taken as bad news by the young couple. "What I really need to talk to you about is the Second Exorcist Project."

Both boys froze at the words. The expression on Komui's face told them exactly what he was going to say next, and they did not like it. Allen adjusted his hold on the baby and let out a defeated sigh. "Eri's like Kanda, isn't she?"

Komui nodded solemnly, slightly relieved that he hadn't actually had to say it. "She is."

Kanda's fierce swearing at the confirmation of his fears was interrupted by a commotion out in the hall. All three men looked to the door as the noise got closer and louder. The Head Nurse was yelling at someone. "You can't go in there! Mr. Walker is not in a condition for receiving visitors. He-"

Her words were cut short with a thud that was clearly caused by her being pushed against the wall. The familiar male voice that followed sent chills down Allen's spine. "Out of my way, woman."

Mere seconds later, Leverrier stood in the doorway with Howard Link and two other members of Crow behind him. Kanda resumed his swearing, and Allen tried to look anywhere that wasn't the apologetic smile his former stalker was giving him.

Komui merely looked calmly up at the puritanical blond man. He had been expecting him to show up, though he had hoped it wouldn't happen quite so soon. "Ah, Secretary Leverrier. Glad you could make it. We were just discussing baby Erika."

At the mention of her name, Allen subconsciously held the baby a little closer to his chest, as if shielding his daughter from the men from Central. The action went unnoticed as Komui continued to speak. "I was about to give Allen and Kanda the message from Central about their daughter. Care to deliver the good news yourself?"

The Supervisor's smug cheerfulness didn't faze Leverrier. He sneered at Allen and the baby in his arms. "Against my advice, the council has decided to let you keep your bastard offspring. Just know that her status as an Innocence compatible is all that is keeping her safe. And mark my words, there will be consequences for the homosexual activities that led to you having a child out of wedlock."

Before Kanda could snarl at the man threatening his family, Komui interrupted. "There's no need for that, Secretary Leverrier. They're already married."

While Allen and Kanda were stunned into silence by the unexpected declaration, Leverrier snapped his sneer to Komui. The Chinese man kept his composure and pulled a paper from the stack on his lap, holding it up so the secretary could see it. Leverrier took one look at the signed marriage certificate then turned sharply on his heel and stalked away. He was livid. This had been his one chance to get around the council's decision, but now that chance was gone. A swift retreat was his best option.

When they were once again alone, it was Kanda who found his voice first. The samurai had initially thought that Komui was making things up to get rid of Leverrier, but the sight of that marriage certificate, which he had no recollection of ever signing, put an end to that. "What do you mean we're already married? When did that happen?"

"About half an hour ago, when you were signing all that paperwork." Komui shrugged nonchalantly and returned the certificate to its place in the stack.

"You mean we're actually-?" Allen swallowed hard. He couldn't say the word out loud. Not in that context. Despite everything that had happened in the last week, learning that he was now married to Kanda was just too weird.

"You are." The Supervisor smiled apologetically at the pair. "I'm sorry for tricking you, but it was necessary. There wasn't time for an explanation or the argument that would follow. I knew Leverrier would show up sooner or later, and you needed to be married before he got here."

Allen and Kanda shared an awkward glance, each trying to wrap their head around the idea that the other was now their husband. "Why?"

Komui laughed lightly at the question. "Because of the baby."

Both boys frowned at the answer. While it was true that society dictated that a baby's parents get married, and it was what they both secretly wanted, they had expected the fact that they were both male to be a bigger issue.

Seeing that they weren't satisfied with his answer, Komui explained it in more detail. "As Leverrier said, Central has decided to allow you to keep Erika because she has a parasitic Innocence and because of the things she inherited from the Second Exorcist Project. There is, however, more to it than that. Central has also decided that because of the unusual circumstances leading up to her birth, they will not consider baby Erika to be illegitimate, and they will overlook the fact that the two of you are homosexual - on the condition that you get married."

Allen blinked at the Supervisor; this topic was making his head hurt. "So you decided to trick us into signing a marriage certificate because you were scared of what Leverrier would do if he got here before we agreed to Central's demands?"

Komui nodded. "Central reached their decision this morning and I came straight here as soon as I heard. I knew he was going to try something and I couldn't let that happen. Plus, given your behavior over the last week, I figured you'd react better to learning you'd already been married than to finding out that Central was ordering you to do it." He suddenly broke into a knowing smirk. "After all, however bad the timing of it may be, this is what you both want."

When silence was the only response to his declaration, Komui abruptly stood up and changed the subject. "Now, if you feel up to it, Hevlaska would like to see all three of you for an exam."

Allen made a face at the thought of Hevlaska's exam. "Do we have to?"

Komui smiled in amusement at the white haired teen's obvious reluctance. "It's long overdue; we should have taken you down there months ago, Allen. When I spoke to her earlier, she told me that she knew all along that you were pregnant."

While Allen's silver eyes went wide with shock, Kanda's scowl deepened and he practically growled at the Chinese man. "You mean that all the chaos of the last several months could have been avoided with a simple visit to Hevlaska?"

"Unfortunately." Komui sighed. "And that's why we need to get you down there now. Since she knew about the pregnancy the whole time, she may be able to provide some insight into how it happened in the first place."

That simple logic was all it took for Allen to put aside his dislike of Hevlaska's exams; if it could explain why he'd gotten pregnant, he was all for doing it. He climbed off the bed without startling Erika awake, a task that was surprisingly already second nature to him, and followed Komui out into the hall.

Kanda fell in step with Allen, walking side by side with his new husband. Seizing that thought, he caught hold of his Moyashi's free hand and entwined his fingers with Allen's. "We should get you a wedding ring. I want people to know when they see you that you're spoken for."

"I gave birth to your baby a week ago; I think everyone within fifty miles knows that we're together." Allen snorted, trying to ignore the way his heart raced at the unexpected romantic gesture; the Kanda from before their breakup would never have wanted to claim him publicly. He both loved and hated that change in his samurai. It made being wary of the man way too hard. "Besides, just because we're married now doesn't mean I'm going to suddenly forget what you did to me. You should consider yourself lucky that my body isn't going to be able to handle sex for the next few weeks, because it's going to take you _at least_ that long to get me to forgive you enough to let you touch me again."

Kanda just scoffed at the threat and tousled Allen's messy white hair as they continued to follow Komui down the stone halls. "Che. I consider myself lucky that you took me back, getting you to trust me again will be a piece of cake compared to that. Besides, you've already told me that you'll let me get you pregnant again if it's possible, so there's no point in pretending you'd withhold sex."

Though his heart skipped a beat at the memory of learning that Kanda was willing to give him another chance at being pregnant, Allen was not about to cave so easily. "I said I wasn't against it, not that I'd let you, and second, if you don't behave, I'll withhold more than just sex."

Komui's amusement at the overheard conversation died as it seemed like it was turning into one of their usual fights, but before he could intervene, Kanda did something completely unexpected: he laughed. "Fine, fine. I can't have you keeping Erika from me now, can I?"

Allen stopped short at the joke that his hormone riddled brain didn't realize was a joke. "I didn't mean _that_. I would never-" He couldn't say the words, instead finishing the sentence with a choked sob.

Kanda rolled his eyes at the overly emotional bean sprout, but quickly pulled the younger into a tight hug. "I know. I was joking."

"Oh." The Moyashi's tears faded into an embarrassed blush as he held his baby closer and leaned into Kanda's hug.

Komui cleared his throat to keep himself from laughing at the pair, not wanting to set either of their tempers off. It was just too funny watching Kanda calm Allen down rather than rile him up. Unfortunately the noise reminded Allen and Kanda of his presence, and when the pair suddenly looked up at him, he had to act like he had interrupted them on purpose. "If you two are finished, we have somewhere to be."

In the end, the visit with Hevlaska went much like they expected it to. She verified Kanda's theory, confirming once and for all that the Innocence was indeed the cause of Allen's pregnancy. And though the young couple was intrigued by the idea of having a second child, it was relief and not disappointment that they felt when Hevlaska told them that the pregnancy was a one-time thing; Allen would not be bearing any more children. They would be able to focus all of their energies on little Erika.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Surprise! I wasn't particularly satisfied with the ending of this either, so here's another chapter. I think it wraps things up a little better and there's a bit more about Erika growing up too. Hopefully you all find this ending more satisfactory.

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Allen sat heavily on the edge of his infirmary bed when they returned from visiting Hevlaska. He stared up at Kanda who was still standing in the doorway. "So... we're married now..."

Kanda smirked slightly, he was pretty sure he knew where Allen was going with this. "We are."

Allen simultaneously smiled and sighed as he held Erika closer to his chest. He'd been given a bassinet for her, but he couldn't make himself use it. Even after a week, if he wasn't holding Erika, he was having panic attacks about her; she came into his life so suddenly that he was constantly worried that she would leave it just as suddenly. "And we have a baby..."

"We do." _Hurry up and get to the point, Moyashi._

Allen frowned and began chewing on his lip. "... Were you serious about wanting to buy me a ring?"

"Of course I was." Kanda smiled and sat down beside Allen. He leaned against the younger's shoulder and kissed his temple. "In case you've forgotten, I'm possessive and jealous. I would never joke about marking you as mine."

The words made Allen's frown deepen. "Actually, you never would have said anything about marking me. Even back when things were good between us, you never once expressed interest in formalizing our relationship."

"That's because we're gay, not because I didn't want to." He kissed Allen's temple again. "But I see your point. I did some maturing while we were apart."

Allen smiled at that, but the smile faded to a confused frown when Kanda took the baby from him. The samurai held his week old daughter carefully, and used his free hand to brush a clump of Allen's white hair out of his face. "Our marriage may have been forced on us, but it is what I want. I want to be committed to you completely. So yes, I want to buy you a ring, and if it's what you want, I'll wear one too. I also want you and our daughter to take my last name. Or I'll take yours, if that's what you prefer."

Not knowing how to react to the unexpected gesture, Allen chose to turn it into a joke. "How would that even work? You go by your last name and don't like your first name. You can't become Kanda Walker, that's just silly."

Though he was slightly hurt at not getting the answer he wanted, Kanda chose to play along. "Yes, but _you_ could hyphenate. You becoming Allen Walker-Kanda would actually work."

He had more to say, but he didn't miss the way that Allen froze, so he paused to give the Moyashi time to react. The white haired young man blinked a few times then took his baby back from her father. "That does sound ... decent. And Eri does take more strongly after you... It makes sense that she should have your last name since you and she are both-"

The sentence went unfinished, but Kanda knew what Allen wasn't saying, the furniture in the room knew what he wasn't saying. "Moyashi. Eri taking after me physically just means that she'll have your personality. And I think everyone here would agree that that's for the best. Now, stop trying to change the subject, I want an honest answer from you. Will you take my last name?"

"I-" Allen swallowed and tried again. "I don't know. This isn't something that matters to me. However, I can tell that it matters to you. I know you want me to say yes. But I also know that you don't like it when I do things I don't like just to make others happy. But does that apply here? Because it's not like I'm against changing my name, I'm indifferent to it. So, knowing all that, do you want me to say yes or no?"

Kanda stared dumbfounded at Allen for a moment before he regained the power of speech. "Wow Moyashi. I don't think you've ever talked about your feelings that much in one sitting before."

"You said you wanted honesty." Allen shrugged nonchalantly. "And since a lack of communication seems to be the cause of our breakup, I figure that we should be more open with each other this time around."

"That's true, we're married now, we need to be more honest with each other." Kanda leaned forward and kissed the Moyashi's forehead. "Now, to answer your question... You're right; I don't like it when you sacrifice your feelings to try to make me happy. But you're also right about that not applying here. If you truly are indifferent to changing your name, then you won't be upsetting me by doing what I want."

The words made Allen laugh and he placed his forehead against Kanda's shoulder. "God we're a complicated couple. I just asked for your permission to say yes to a question that _you_ asked me."

Kanda made a face before joining in with his laughter. "Well, when you put it like that, it does sound pretty ridiculous."

After a quick kiss, Allen gave his husband a rare, genuine smile. "Then from this moment on, I will be Allen Walker-Kanda. I-"

The rest of the words cut off when Kanda captured Allen's lips and shoved his tongue down the younger's throat. The Moyashi's new name sounded so good that he couldn't resist. "Now that that's settled, will you agree to wearing a wedding ring?"

Allen frowned in thought. This was another question that deserved an honest answer. "I will agree to look at rings with you. I like the idea of having one, but I'm not going to agree to wearing something I've never seen. I don't want to end up stuck with something hideous or impractical or, knowing you, way too expensive. If I'm going to be wearing this thing every day for the rest of my life, I want to see it first."

Kanda laughed and tousled Allen's hair. "So what you're saying is, I either need to pick something plain, practical, and reasonably priced, or I have to wait until you're allowed to leave headquarters, so that I can take you with me."

"Pretty much." Allen forced a smile, trying to ignore the reminder that he was basically a prisoner in the infirmary.

When Kanda saw the fake smile, he knew exactly what the white haired young man was thinking. "Moyashi. We've been over this. I know you feel stuck here, but you barely made it down to Hevlaska's chamber and back. You have to stay here until you've recovered."

"I am not fragile, Bakanda."

Kanda bit back the urge to shout back. He'd learned the hard way that Allen was vicious when he was hormonal. Staying calm was his only hope of keeping the Moyashi from erupting. "This isn't about your physical strength, Allen. It's been seven days since you gave birth. Seven days since we - since _I_ thought you died. I can't go through that again. Eri and I _both_ need you to take care of yourself, ok?"

.x.x.

After another week of tests and baby lessons, Allen was deemed well enough to be discharged from the infirmary. He was finally allowed to return to his room, only to find that all of his belongings had been moved to a new room while he'd been recovering. He was understandably frustrated at that, but those feelings went away when he saw that his new suite included a nursery for Erika. He was overjoyed at having the space and means to take care of his precious little angel.

Of course, that joy died quite a bit when he learned that he would be sharing his new living space with Kanda. Despite the fact that the samurai had barely left his side in the last two weeks, Allen felt his stomach plummet at the thought of sharing a bed with his husband. Seeing that king sized bed had hammered in for Allen that he and Kanda were married; he was stuck with the elder till the day one of them died, and that was a terrifying thought when he still had trust issues from their breakup.

As much as he had been looking forward to once again sharing a bed with Allen, Kanda was not at all surprised that the white haired young man spent the first week in their new suite sleeping on the child's bed in the nursery. He understood the reasoning behind the Moyashi's actions, so he let it slide.

But only for that first week.

When Kanda's first mission after Eri's birth came up, he made sure that Allen understood that he was expected to start sleeping in their bed before he got back. "I know you're scared, Moyashi, but it feels like you aren't trying. How am I supposed to prove myself to you if you won't give me the chance to do so?"

The words were unnecessary. By the time Kanda had returned from his mission, Allen had grown so lonely over his absence, and the reminder of what being broken up felt like, that he climbed right into bed with the samurai. Having Kanda back at his side was a wonderful feeling. And at three weeks in, they finally consummated their marriage.

Their relationship was far from their priority though. That was baby Erika.

Everyone at the Order agreed that she was the sweetest baby they had ever seen, but with her surprise arrival in their lives, Erika was a nightmare to Allen and Kanda. They did eventually adjust to the crying and helpless infant, but it was a very hard few weeks in which they got very little sleep.

Allen grew more attached to his daughter with each passing day. He had loved her from the moment he first laid eyes on her, and that love only grew stronger as the baby grew. She was his gift, his reward for being an exorcist. The Innocence had dictated his entire life, from the cruel way he had grown up, all the way up to him killing the Earl; and now it had given him the most precious thing he could possibly have. He still wished they would have figured out that he was pregnant, but he knew that was unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

Erika grew bigger and stronger every day, and before her parents knew it was happening, she was eating real foods and taking her first steps across the nursery. She was a shy toddler, only showing her adventurous side around those she really knew, but when she was out of her shell, she never stopped talking.

From the moment Erika could stand on her own two feet, Kanda began teaching her martial arts. If she was destined to be an exorcist, then she was going to learn how to fight. Everyone thought that Allen would throw a major fit at that, but he actually supported it wholeheartedly. He was still having panic attacks worrying about her, and watching her learn to protect herself eased his nerves considerably.

As was to be expected given who her parents were, Erika had quite a few personality quirks. She screamed bloody murder through her first haircut, and from then on, she refused to let anyone other than her parents touch her hair. Even stroking her hair while she was asleep would result in a freak out. Allen got very good at braiding her hair, as it was the only way to ensure that the navy strands would stay clean and not become a tangled disaster.

If touching her hair was bad, touching her food was even worse. Like Kanda, Erika was an incredibly picky eater. She gradually outgrew it as she got older, her parasitic Innocence forcing her to add variety into what she ate in order to keep up with her ever increasing appetite, but touching her food remained a good way to make her explode.

By the time Eri was four, she was reading and writing better than someone twice her age. Part of it was due to Allen's determination to make sure that she got the education he never had, but it was mostly because she was naturally intelligent. It was something that amused everyone, as neither of her parents were the sharpest tools in the shed.

And as she grew older, Reever often lamented that Erika was an exorcist and not available to be recruited to the science division; the random attacks from Komui's robots were easily averted when Erika was around to disable them. Because of that, Allen and Kanda made sure that Erika and Komui were never left alone together; the last thing anyone needed was for the Supervisor's mad scientist habits to rub off on the young genius.

They really didn't have anything to worry about on that front though. Komui's robots still had a tendency to go after Allen after all, and Erika hated absolutely everything that threatened her mother. Uncle Komui was far from her favorite person.

Erika was every bit as overprotective of Allen as he was of her. It was not unheard of for her to yell at Kanda when she thought he was being too rough on the white haired young man. And sending mother and daughter out on a mission together was sure to result in a new story about Erika losing her temper Kanda-style towards someone who had picked on Allen's looks.

It wasn't until the first time something like that happened that everyone finally realized just how invested Kanda was in his family. The pride the samurai held in his daughter for protecting her mother was the kick in the pants they needed to finally understand that he was exactly where he wanted to be. It wasn't his orders or his sense of honor that kept him bound to the child he had fathered. As out of character as it seemed, Kanda was with Allen and Erika because he loved them.

The three of them were a family. Their first few weeks together may have been rocky and unanticipated, but they were stronger for it. They loved each other and nothing could ever tear them apart.

~Fin~


End file.
